Published Paper Details:

Abstract There is no doubt that fact that insecurity has been one of the major concerns to both past and present governments in Nigeria. This is as a result of the Nigerian history and development challenges that have been continuously rooted in conflicts and instability. Various governments have made several efforts aimed at addressing the situation ranging from the creation of various security agencies and several reforms of the existing ones as well as various forms of youth empowerment, yet the security challenges continued. Therefore, the objective of this study is to find out if the rate of unemployment and lack of youth empowerment in the country especially in the Federal Capital Territory is the reason why the country has continued to remain unsafe for the citizens. The study was anchored on human security theory as its point of departure while quantitative research design which made use of the survey method was employed to accomplish the purpose of the study. The data for the study were generated through structured questionnaire items and focus group discussions. 400 respondents were purposively selected from the study area. Three points Likert-type scale was employed in data collection and to measure the magnitude of the responses. Data collected were analyzed using percentages. The findings show that youth unemployment and lack of empowerment as well as the character of the Nigerian state are the major causes of insecurity in Nigeria. It equally shows that the government has not made serious efforts to address the unemployment rate and acquisition of skills, especially for the youths. The paper, therefore, recommends among others that governments at all levels should empower the youths a productive and skills manpower development as a security measure. Also, the government should empower the youth through a soft loan to enable them to start some businesses of their own, while the government continues to monitor the beneficiaries, offering them advice and guidance where necessary.